Connecting Eastern Ontario to the World

Final Report 2014 The Eastern Ontario Regional Network is transforming rural Eastern Ontario by opening up new markets and opportunities for our economy and improving quality of life for our residents.

David Burton 2014 EORN Chair

2 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Introduction

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) created the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) broadband project to improve quality of life and economic opportunity in rural Eastern Ontario.

When the project started construction in 2010, about one-third of the region’s population had either no access or low-speed, dial-up access to the internet. Local businesses surveyed also said the lack of broadband access was a significant barrier to growth and prosperity. However, for internet service providers (ISPs), the cost of building new infrastructure to serve small markets scattered across the region outweighed the benefits.

The EOWC created EORN to bridge that gap by partnering with ISPs to help build new services. Like the expansion of railroads and highways in the past, broadband infrastructure helps to connect communities and opens up new investment opportunities.

The project has exceeded its goals and gained international profile for its success. In 2013, EORN was one of five organizations short-listed for an award from the World Broadband Forum that recognizes efforts to improve broadband penetration.

Our communities developed a shared vision. Working with the support of the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and in partnership with the private sector, we have made that vision a reality.

Jean Paul St. Pierre 2014 EOWC Chair

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 3 Understanding Bandwidth:

Speed Range Applications

1.5 Mbps to 5 Mbps Business: Web browsing, file sharing, internet banking Telecommunications: Voice over IP such as Skype Entertainment: iTunes and streaming music

5 Mbps to 10 Mbps Business: Large file sharing such as AutoCAD Telecommunications: Video conferencing Entertainment: Netflix and video streaming (two to three channels); gaming Healthcare: Basic medical file sharing and remote medical diagnosis

10 Mbps to 50 Mbps Business: remote training, high quality video, “smart” building control and HD surveillance Entertainment: HD video streaming, complex multi-player gaming Healthcare: remote operation of medical and scientific instruments

What can you do with one Gigabyte (1 GB)?

view 26,000 web pages

Send 105,000 emails

Download more than 200 songs

Receive up to 500 digital photos GB = 10-page Microsoft Word 1 Attach over 2,000 document to emails

Download 1.5 movies or 2/3 of movie in HD

Stream 18 hours of music from the web

Play games online for 240 hours (10 days)

4 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Achievements

Exceeding Expectations

• The Eastern Ontario Regional Network has expanded broadband access to cover 99 per cent of rural Eastern Ontario – surpassing its goal of expanding access of at least 1.5 Mbps to 95 per cent of the region: – Nearly 90 per cent – some 415,000 homes and businesses – can access DSL or fixed wireless internet services with speeds of at least 10 Mbps, exceeding EORN’s target of 85 per cent. – An additional 12,000 households can access internet speeds ranging from 6 to 10 Mbps with these technologies. – The remaining households can access these same speeds through improved satellite services, available at special pricing for anyone in rural Eastern Ontario.

• New high-speed fibre optic internet has been built directly to more than 50 business parks and commercial areas across the region, delivering high-quality and reliable broadband to support enterprise-level solutions.

Creating Added Value • As a result of EORN, new fibre-to-home projects in Kingston and Peterborough have recently been announced, at an estimated investment of some $75 million. • EORN’s small, dedicated professional team kept management costs of the project to less than 5 per cent, channeling the savings back into building more broadband infrastructure. • The $170 million program, funded by federal, provincial and municipal governments and private sector partners is now valued at more than $260 million when private sector, in-kind contributions are considered. • Expansion of wired internet services also resulted in improvements to about 1,000 aging hydro poles that also carry phone and internet cables.

Rural Eastern Ontarians are pleased with improved broadband access A telephone survey of rural eastern Ontario households conducted in 2014, after EORN was built, reported that: • 88 per cent believe broadband is important • 82 per cent use high-speed internet at home • 86 per cent are satisfied with home internet access • Reliability and affordability are the top two most important factors in choosing an ISP

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 5 North BayProject Overview New Fibre

Existing Fibre

Access Hubs

ALGONQUIN PARK EOWC Territory

Pembroke !.

L’Orignal Whitney UNITED COUNTIES OF PRESCOTT AND RENFREW Renfrew Ottawa RUSSELL COUNTY Huntsville !. HALIBURTON COUNTY UNITED COUNTIES OF STORMONT, DUNDAS LANARK AND GLENGARRY COUNTY

Minden Cornwall Perth

FRONTENAC HASTINGS COUNTY UNITED COUNTIES KAWARTHA COUNTY OF LEEDS AND LAKES GRENVILLE

LENNOX Brockville PETERBOROUGH AND COUNTY ADDINGTON COUNTY Lindsay

Peterborough Gananoque

Napanee Kingston

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY Belleville

Cobourg Picton Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Lake Ontario

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network is comprised of:

• A 5,500-kilometre fibre optic backhaul network that forms the backbone of the entire regional network. It is scalable to grow and support future needs. • 160 new or improved hubs that provide wholesale internet access to ISPs. • 22 local access networks that connect homes and businesses to the backbone using a combination of wired (DSL) and wireless services. • Improved satellite services and packages to reach those that the network could not connect due to terrain or sparse population. • New high-speed fibre connections to more than 50 additional business parks and commercial areas across the region, to help attract and retain businesses. • High-speed internet improvements in three First Nations communities that worked in collaboration with EORN.

6 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Accountability • The Curve Lake First Nation has a new internet access point and local fibre network, Every local access contract had specific milestones, which is providing broadband connections to deliverables and timeframes. EORN’s engineering key community buildings, such as the school, team worked closely with providers to ensure work community centre, business centre and was completed on time and on budget. administration offices. EORN is also responsible for monitoring and ensuring • The Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation that long-term technical and customer service has received new DSL services through the requirements, set out until 2024, are met. project, an expansion that also improved As part of the process, proponents are required to telephone lines to the community. report regularly on the performance of their network, including service level measures, subscriber numbers, Satellite as well as outages and other technical information. Regardless of how difficult the terrain or how EORN can require proponents to upgrade their remote the location, EORN was committed to capacity, at the proponent’s sole cost, if the network trying to improve high-speed internet access is becoming over-subscribed – meaning there are to homes and businesses across the region, as too many users for the available bandwidth. As well, economically as possible. EORN tracks the performance feedback it receives Satellite internet serves areas with low from residential and business users. population density or where difficult topography means that neither wired nor wireless options Open Access Policy were possible. This would include, for example, EORN is also committed to an open access policy. This where valleys or trees block the “line of sight” to allows any registered internet service provider to buy fixed wireless towers. In very sparsely populated wholesale bandwidth on the backbone at the same areas, satellite is simply the most cost-effective rates, co-locate on EORN-funded sites, or resell the means of delivering high-speed internet services. access services in order to create a level playing field. To provide more affordable access to satellite technology, EORN went through a competitive First Nations bidding process and negotiated improved pricing and packages for Eastern Ontario residents with Improving First Nations’ access to affordable Xplornet Communications. broadband was important to EORN and project staff worked collaboratively with these communities to Satellite technology continues to evolve and ensure that they shared in the benefits of the network. improve. Xplornet Communications Inc. has launched a new 4G satellite network based on Highlights include: high throughput satellite (HTS) technology that • The Alderville First Nation has direct fibre further closes the gap between urban and rural connectivity at its community centre, health internet service in terms of speed, capacity and services, student services and administrative offices. quality. Their new satellites represent a five- These access points connect to portions of new year leap in advanced technologies, delivering fibre optic cable that were laid by Bell Aliant and significantly more capacity, which is essential to Bell through Alderville First Nation’s traditional internet users. lands and treaty area. The community has further benefited from expanded fixed wireless broadband built in Northumberland County through EORN.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 7 North Bay

Municipalities with new fibre connections to business areas ALGONQUIN PARK

Pembroke 2 !.

L’Orignal Whitney UNITED COUNTIES OF RENFREW PRESCOTT AND Renfrew Ottawa COUNTY RUSSELL Huntsville !. HALIBURTON COUNTY UNITED COUNTIES OF STORMONT, DUNDAS LANARK AND GLENGARRY3 COUNTY 2 5 Minden 2 Cornwall

FRONTENAC Perth HASTINGS COUNTY KAWARTHA COUNTY LAKES UNITED COUNTIES Fenelon Falls OF LEEDS AND Brockville PETERBOROUGH LENNOX GRENVILLE COUNTY AND 2 ADDINGTON Lindsay COUNTY 3 Peterborough 2 3 Gananoque 2 2 Napanee Kingston

Belleville NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY Picton Cobourg Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Lake Ontario

Business Parks and Areas

EORN has extended fibre optic internet connections at more than 50 business parks and commercial areas across the region. The fibre is delivering high quality broadband that can support enterprise-level technology, further expanding the economic development potential of the project.

The $11.1 million extension was funded through the existing project budget as a result of prudent financial management and project oversight. EORN worked with municipalities to identify business parks and areas that needed improvement and awarded contracts to a number of ISPs, including Bell Aliant, Cogeco, Utilities Kingston, Storm Internet and Nexicom.

8 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Next Steps

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network created an exceptional partnership that brought together multiple governments and private sector partners to deliver tangible results. EORN would not have been successful without all of these partners working cooperatively towards a common goal.

The number of households and businesses with access to broadband speeds of 10 Mbps has nearly quadrupled in the EORN area as a direct result of the project. The indirect benefits are immeasurable, in terms of building a foundation for future broadband expansion, creating opportunities for economic growth and improving quality of life.

EORN continues to work with public sector organizations and businesses to improve the adoption of broadband technologies and to look at opportunities to apply this technology in critical sectors such as health and education.

The reality is that technology is constantly evolving. As a next step, EORN has developed a 10-year Digital Strategy to ensure that Eastern Ontario keeps pace with that change and leverages the wise investments made today to build communities that continue to grow and thrive.

EORN is built to grow and meet future needs. It’s put a foundation in place that paves the way for future expansion in broadband services through a variety of technologies, including wireless, cellular and fibre.

J. Murray Jones EORN Secretary

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 9 Understanding Broadband Technology

Given the size of the region, EORN relied on a mix of technologies to improve high-speed internet access to the greatest number of residents. In some cases, different parts of the same community have different technologies, due to distances to the fibre backbone, wireless equipment locations, treelines and terrain.

DSL

• DSL, or “digital subscriber line,” is a high-speed digital internet connection over existing telephone lines that does not interrupt voice conversations. • DSL services for locations close to the fibre optic backbone have improved significantly. Delivering DSL service to all locations wasn’t feasible given the size, terrain and low population densities of Eastern Ontario.

Wireless

• Wireless access uses radio waves to transmit and receive broadband internet signals from a nearby tower. ISPs connect these towers to the fibre optic backbone and then transmit the signal to subscribers. • Wireless services can reach a broader area more efficiently, as long as the terrain doesn’t interfere with the signal.

Satellite

• Satellite internet access is available widely because the signal can be beamed down to satellite dishes at homes and businesses located almost anywhere, much like satellite television. • Satellite technology has improved significantly thanks to new high throughput satellite (HTS) technology that improves speed, capacity and quality. • EORN has negotiated improved pricing with Xplornet Communications Inc. for all residents and businesses in rural Eastern Ontario.

Cable and mobile phone companies also provide internet access in parts of the region. Having a greater number of options available will make rural markets more competitive and improve consumer choice and affordability.

10 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Building Local Access

Pembroke

!.

L’Orignal Whitney RENFREW UNITED COUNTIES OF COUNTY PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Ottawa Huntsville

!.

HALIBURTON COUNTY UNITED COUNTIES OF STORMONT, DUNDAS AND GLENGARRY LANARK Minden COUNTY Cornwall

FRONTENAC Perth COUNTY HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES COUNTY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE

KAWARTHA Brockville LAKES PETERBOROUGH COUNTY LENNOX Lindsay AND ADDINGTON Gananoque COUNTY Peterborough Kingston Napanee Belleville

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY Picton Cobourg Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Lake Ontario

Local Access Networks EORN Zone Names Contract Awarded to n Satellite Services* Xplornet To build the network, the region was divided into n Embrun Xplornet 15 zones. Through an open and competitive bidding n Quinte-Loyalist Xplornet process, contracts were then awarded to internet service n Northumberland Xplornet providers (ISPs) to build local networks in each of these n Highlands Bell Aliant zones, using new infrastructure to connect residents n South Nation Bell Aliant & Xplornet n Sebright Xplornet and businesses to the backbone. n Kawartha Bell Aliant, Nexicom & Xplornet Key criteria for awarding the contracts included: n Haliburton Bell Aliant n Ottawa Valley South Bell Aliant & Storm • the geographic reach and number of households n Ottawa Valley North Bell Aliant covered by the network; n Dorset Bell Aliant • the speeds and bandwidth that would be achieved; n Lanark Bell Aliant & Storm n SD&G Bell Aliant & Xplornet • competitive consumer pricing; n Thousand Islands Xplornet • the financial investment by EORN; and, n Hastings North Bell Aliant • the investment to be made by the company.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 11 Gord Rodgers Township of South Frontenac, Ontario

Gord Rodgers enjoys the view from his home office on the shores of Fourteen Island Lake. From this idyllic corner of the world, the experienced environmental planner runs GKR Consulting, serving clients and working with partners located hours away. It’s the realization of a long-time dream to live in the country, while continuing a productive, working retirement. It took years of planning and hard work for Gord and his wife Barb to find the right spot and build their home in South Frontenac – with the waterfront she craved and the forest he coveted. But there was a challenge – it only had dial-up internet. Environmental planning requires reviewing, writing and sharing large documents. By necessity, there are photos, maps, and graphs – files too large to send on dial-up or older satellite technology. Then, through the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, Xplornet built new wireless service in the area. Gord has been impressed with the results. “It’s made a huge difference and importantly, it’s been reliable. That’s key,” he said. “I work routinely with a partner in Bracebridge. We’re often working under tight timeframes and in the early days, it was a real struggle to share our files. That’s a problem that’s now gone, and happily forgotten.” Supporting entrepreneurs and attracting small businesses is an important part of EORN’s economic development goals. Small businesses account for 48 per cent of Canada’s total private sector jobs and contribute about 30 per cent of the nation’s GDP, according to Industry Canada. Gord noted that some of his seasonal neighbours are entertaining a permanent move because of the improved internet services, and others have been able to move their home businesses here for the same reason. Small communities in Eastern Ontario offer entrepreneurs like Gord reasonable real estate prices, an affordable cost of living and a great quality of life. Improved internet now connects them to markets, partners and clients all over the world, without ever having to leave home.

12 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Frontenac County Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Frontenac County is comprised of four lower-tier Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford townships. It is locatedEmbrun at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place River, encompassing theSTORMONT, scenic Thousand DUNDAS Islands region. COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft Farms and small towns dominate the southern part of the Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton County, whileWinchester northward, towards theGlen Renfrew Walter County McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst border,Kemptville mining and logging predominate. Seasonal Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickvilleresidents comprise nearly half of the County’s households. Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Broadband access in Frontenac County was improved Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal COUNTY Arden OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLEthrough eight new or improved internet access points Coboconk North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland Northalong Augusta the fibre optic backbone in the County and the City Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton LENNOX AND Elgin of Kingston. Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora ADDINGTON Verona Brockville LAKES COUNTY Havelock COUNTY Dunsford Building off these access points, local access was delivered Woodville Tweed Tamworth Inverary Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield Enterprise Harrowsmith by three EORN contracts: Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Norwood Campellford Gananoque Stirling Selby Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Newburgh • In the south, Xplornet launched new fixed wireless Kingston Frankford services in the spring of 2012. Bethany Warkworth Napanee Port Perry Belleville Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Collins Bay Wolfe Island Newmarket Bath • Bell Aliant provided a wired DSL solution in the more Castleton Trenton Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown sparsely populated northern part of the County in Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton Markham Bloomfield summer 2013. Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY • In southeastern Frontenac, expanded wireless service Pickering Bowmanville from Xplornet was completed in spring 2014. Xplornet

Toronto Xplornet In all, improved DSL and wireless services provide access Lake Ontario Xplornet to internet speeds of 10 Mbps to 14,870 of the County’s Bell Aliant & Storm households, and to nearly all of rural Kingston’s 3,680 households. About 500 County households can access speeds of 6 Mbps to 10 Mbps and the remaining 2,500 households can access satellite internet services at improved speeds and pricing negotiated by EORN.

Business Parks Business clusters in Sydenham and Verona have new fibre based high-speed internet through Bell Aliant.

Three Kingston business parks, Alcan, Cataraqui Estates and St. Lawrence, have improved fibre services through a contract with Utilities Kingston.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 13 14 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Bell Aliant Bell Aliant, along with Bell Canada, partnered with EORN to build the project’s fibre optic backbone – a 5,500-kilometre “transport” network that forms the foundation of the entire project and is built to meet both current and future broadband needs.

“The Eastern Ontario Regional Network has addressed a key barrier to improving broadband service in the region – the lack of a strong transport network,” said John Swantee, Director of Network Strategy for Bell Aliant.

John explained that Bell Aliant had already been serving areas where it was economically feasible for it to build infrastructure. But the challenge was serving those smaller communities that were just too few and far between. There simply was no business case to justify the capital investment.

“The program funding allowed us to a build a future-proof transport network that will serve the region for the foreseeable future,” John said. “It is really important to invest wisely and pick the right technology. The backbone is built to grow from 10G to 100G.”

Building this piece allowed Bell Aliant to expand the reach of its own DSL networks through the EORN project. As well, other internet service providers have leveraged the backbone to build EORN’s local access networks, substantially expanding broadband access region wide.

It has also improved existing data services. Businesses, school boards and health care providers, for example, who already had broadband, were able to access increased speeds as a result of the project.

In the future, the backbone network will also pave the way for cellular growth in the region. As cellular companies look to deliver LTE technology, they need the higher bandwidth provided by the fibre optic backbone. Similarly, expanded fibre-to-home projects in the region are more feasible because the foundation is in place to support the technology.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 15 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Haliburton County Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Haliburton County, also known as the Haliburton Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Highlands, is comprised of four municipalities and includes Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill over 600 lakes, rivers and streams and dramatic terrain. It Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL is one of the larger and more sparsely populated areas of Arnprior Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Eastern Ontario and given its natural beauty, has a high Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. number of seasonal properties. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF Russell Crysler HALIBURTON Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS EORN was able to expand access by building off the Avonmore Carnarvon COUNTY Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft previous Rural Connections broadband project. Eight new Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault or improved internet access points were built in the County South Mountain Gravenhurst Corners Ingleside Minden Cardiff Kemptville as part of the fibre optic backbone. Bell Aliant finished Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville building expanded DSL service in the spring of 2014. Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly In all, about 10,000 households in Haliburton County Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden have access to internet speeds of at least 10 Mbps North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta through DSL, with an additional 2,760 having access to Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin internet speeds in the 6 to 10 Mbps range. Most of the Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville LENNOX Verona County’s remaining 8,980 households can access these LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Bell Aliant Dunsford AND Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown speeds via satellite services, with improved pricing and Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Bell AliantLindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith packages negotiated by EORN. Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque Stirling Selby Newburgh Bell Aliant Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Business Parks Newmarket Bath Castleton Trenton The Stanhope Airport area business hub in Algonquin Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton Highlands has new fibre high-speed internet access Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD through Bell Aliant. Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville

Toronto Lake Ontario

16 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Hastings County Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hastings County is the second largest County in Ontario. Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas It encompasses 14 lower-tier municipalities and stretches Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount 160 kilometres fromAylmer north to south. PRESCOTTThe separated AND RUSSELL cities Arnprion Bourget of Belleville & Quinte West Ottawaare within its borders.St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth Hastings County is benefitting from 13 new orUNITED improved COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler internet Carletonaccess Place points on the fibre optic backbone.STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Bracebridge Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bancroft Improved local access was built through a number of Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonaldscontracts:Lanark Long Sault Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Cardiff Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna •LANARK Wireless servicesSmiths Fallsin the southern half of the County Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC were expanded by Xplornet and started to go live in the Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly spring of 2012.UNITED COUNTIES Seabright Apsley HASTINGS Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk Arden COUNTY North Brook • In the north, Bell Aliant expanded its wired DSL services Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls LENNOX AND Fenelon Falls by spring 2014. Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton ADDINGTON Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora COUNTY Verona In all, 13,910 HastingsBrockville County households have access LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield to internetInverary speeds of at least 10 Mbps through DSL or Bridgenorth Harrowsmith Lindsay Norwood Yanker Campellford wireless serviceGananoque and about 1,590 can access services of Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow 6 to 10 Mbps. In addition, 14,950 households in the Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Deseronto Napanee City of Belleville and 14,620 households in Quinte West Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Newmarket Bath Castleton Trenton have 10 Mbps access. The remaining 5,330 County Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown households have access to improved satellite packages Cold Springs COUNTY Picton Markham Bloomfield negotiated by EORN. Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville Business Parks

Toronto Lake Ontario Five Hastings County business parks have new fibre optic Xplornet high-speed internet access from Bell Aliant, including: Bell Aliant • the Burnside Street area in Madoc • the Enterprise Crescent/Y Road area in Hastings Highlands • the Industry Lane Business Park in Marmora • the Tweed Industrial Park in Tweed • the West Front Street Business Park in Stirling

As well, Cogeco has delivered fibre broadband to two business hubs in Quinte West: the Frankford Industrial Park and Trenton’s North Murray Industrial Park.

In the City of Belleville, Cogeco has built fibre connections to the Jamieson Bone Road and Bell Boulevard business areas.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 17 Nexicom In one form or another, Nexicom has been serving the communication needs of rural Eastern Ontario communities for generations. The small telecom started out as the area’s first phone service in 1898. Since then, the business has grown to offer not just phone, but business and residential internet, digital television and residential and business security systems.

“Partnering with EORN was just a natural extension of what we’ve been doing for more than 100 years,” said President Paul Downs. Paul’s father bought the business in the mid-1940s and it has been in the family ever since.

“It goes back to our roots of serving rural customers. Businesses here needed broadband not just to grow, but to survive,” Paul said.

Nexicom had worked on several projects to deliver improved broadband to specific communities and business areas around Peterborough and the Kawarthas. The company brought that experience to the table when it was selected to build parts of EORN’s local access network, leveraging its existing wireless services. It also connected fibre to Peterborough County’s Lang Pioneer Village and the commercial areas around Highway 7 and County Road 28.

In partnership with EORN, which included making its own investments, Nexicom has expanded its coverage area by about 35 per cent. In the process, many residents in the area who could only get dial-up internet services can now access speeds of up to 10 Mbps or even higher.

18 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget City of Kawartha Lakes Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft The City of Kawartha Lakes is located on the northeast Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter border of the Greater Toronto Area. TheMcDonalds sprawlingLanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Kemptville Gravenhurst Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall municipality covers 3,000 squarePlevna kilometres,LANARK with aSmiths mix of Falls Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg urban and rural areas. ThereFRONTENAC are more than 250 lakes in Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount the municipality and the COUNTYTrent Severn WaterwayMaberly crosses Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal through the centre of the City via a network of OFnavigable LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott rivers and locks. Manufacturing, agriculture and tourismPortland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephtonare the City’s main industries. Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton Fenelon KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Verona Brockville Falls LENNOX COUNTY Havelock Tamworth LAKES There were 10 new orAND improved internet access points Dunsford Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Woodville Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth created in Kawartha Lakes. BellYanker Aliant,Harrowsmith Nexicom and Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee HastingsXplornet built local access throughout the region off of Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Kingston Bethany Warkworththese hubsFrankford by spring 2014. Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Trenton Bath CastletonIn all, 30,770 households have access to internet speeds Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY ofBrighton at least 10 MbpsPicton through wireless or DSL service, Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton aboutColborne 310 have access to 6 to 10 Mbps services and the Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington remaining 6,090 householdsCOUNTY can access improved satellite Pickering Xplornet Bowmanville Bell Aliant, Nexicom & Xplornet packages.

Toronto Lake Ontario Business Parks Bell Aliant has built new fibre connections to the Fenelon Falls Industrial Park area and Cogeco has built fibre to the Needham Street area in Lindsay.

Government support is essential because of the high costs of expanding in rural communities and the low population density. This is much like building the national railroad – this is how people connect now. It’s absolutely essential to these communities.

Paul Downs President, Nexicom

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 19 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Lanark County Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Lanark County, which borders the Ottawa capital region, Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill is home to over 100 lakes, rivers and waterfalls.Barry’s Bay It is COUNTYan Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene area rich in history, boasting over 140 designatedFoymount heritage Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget properties, often by water’s edge. It is also Ontario’s Maple Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Syrup Capital. Its picturesque small towns host a range of Nepean Maxville Alexandria Dorset Calabogie Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun small businesses, events and festivals.Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF Mississippi Mills Russell Crysler HALIBURTON STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh Carleton Place AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Eight new or improved internet Bancroftaccess points were built in Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Lanark County.Haliburton A number of ISPs built off of these hubs to Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst deliver improved services: Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls • Bell Aliant expanded service to more densely populated Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg areas around Perth, Lanark, MacDonald’s Corners and FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Maberly, as well as in the eastern part of the County, by UNITED COUNTIES Sebright Apsley HASTINGS Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE springCoboconk 2014. COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield• Storm Internet, a regionalBurleigh Falls internet service provider with Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin a base in Perth, expanded their existing wirelessMadoc network Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville in the balance of the County, by spring 2014. LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Bell Aliant & Storm Dunsford AND Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield ADDINGTON Bell Aliant & InveraryStorm In all, 30,790Lindsay householdsBridgenorth have access to speeds of Yanker Harrowsmith Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque 10 Mbps or higher through DSL or wirelessStirling services, Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow about 40 can access 6 to 10 Mbps service, and the Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perryremaining 840 can access these speeds via improvedBelleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath satellite packages. Castleton Trenton Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne OshawaBusiness Parks PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Pickering SeveralBowmanville different business clusters have new fibre optic, high-speed internet access from Bell Aliant, including:

Toronto • Christie Lake LakeRoad in OntarioTay Valley • Hwy. 7 commercial area in Tay Valley • Perth core and business areas • Ewart Ave. area in Drummond/North Elmsley

20 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Masson-Angers Hawkesbury Lennox and AddingtonPlantagenet AlfredCounty RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi MillsLennox and AddingtonLeitrim County stretches from Lake Ontario !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON northward over 130 kilometresRussell Crysler to Renfrew County. It Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh encompasses four municipalities andAND nearly GLENGARRY 2,800 square Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce kilometres. Its rugged, rocky north is a popular outdoor Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners destination while theSouth south Mountain is rural,Ingleside with a number of small Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smithscommunities Falls and heritage towns. Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour In all, 11 newSpencerville or improved Iroquoisinternet access points were built Kinmount COUNTY Maberly UNITED COUNTIES Sebright Apsley HASTINGS in Lennox and AddingtonCardinal County. Local access networks OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport haveToledo been built by twoPrescott ISPs: Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton LENNOX AND Elgin • Xplornet launched expanded wireless services in the Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA ADDINGTON PETERBOROUGH Marmora Verona south Brockvillein spring 2013. LAKES COUNTY Havelock COUNTY Dunsford Tamworth Woodville Tweed Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield Enterprise Inverary • Northern areas of the County received expanded DSL Lindsay Bridgenorth Harrowsmith Norwood Campellford Yanker Gananoqueservices from Bell Aliant in summer 2013. Stirling Selby Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Newburgh Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee In all, 13,640 households have access to internet speeds Port Perry Belleville Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Collins Bay of 10 Mbps or higher, about 80 can access 6 to 10 Mbps Newmarket Trenton Bath Castleton service, and the remaining 1,490 households have access Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton to similar speeds via satellite services. Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville Xplornet Business Parks Bell Aliant The Loyalist East Business Park, in Loyalist Township, has Toronto Lake Ontario improved fibre broadband services from Utilities Kingston.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 21 Xplornet Communications Inc. Xplornet Communications has carved its niche in delivering high-speed internet to rural communities across Canada. It was already providing satellite and wireless services in Eastern Ontario when the Eastern Ontario Regional Network came along to expand broadband access.

“There’s no doubt that we share a common vision and common cause with EORN,” said President Allison Lenehan. “We are strong believers in the power of the internet and providing access to even those hard to reach corners of Canada.”

Xplornet was awarded contracts to build a number of local access networks in the region that leveraged its existing fixed-wireless services. These services use radio signals to connect homes and businesses to the fibre optic backbone.

For customers who cannot be reached by 4G fixed wireless or other technologies, the company offers 4G satellite internet with special packages for rural Eastern Ontario customers, which were negotiated by EORN. Xplornet has invested heavily in deploying next-generation satellites to deliver state-of-the-art 10 Mbps services, and plans are already underway to deliver even higher speeds.

“EORN was a catalyst that helped bring new solutions to the market,” Lenehan said. “It was very helpful that their approach was to use a mix of technologies to serve the area.”

Lenehan also noted that the network’s structure maximizes the benefit to the community, particularly the number and location of new access points for internet service providers to connect to the fibre optic network.

“We will be able to tap into the fibre optic network as we upgrade our network to LTE technology over the next two years. It really opens the door for new and improved services,” Lenehan said.

22 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprior Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg NorthumberlandFRONTENAC County Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Seabright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls Located just east of the Greater Toronto area,Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Northumberland County is bordered on the southBrockville by Lake LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford OntarioAND and on the north by Rice Lake, part of Canada’s Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield ADDINGTONlongest inland waterway. TheInverary County covers 1,900 square Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith Norwood COUNTY Gananoque Hastings Stirling kilometres and seven lower-tier municipalities featuring Omemee Campellford Selby Newburgh Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow rolling farmland, historicKingston towns and lakefront communities. Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath A dozenDeseronto new internet access points were built in Newmarket Trenton Bath Castleton Northumberland County as part of the fibre optic Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Pictonbackbone. Building off the backbone, improved local access Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton is delivered in the County through two contracts: Oshawa Colborne PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville • Xplornet completed expansion of its wireless services in most of the County in fall 2012. • A couple of areas in Trent Hills have received expanded Toronto Lake Ontario DSL service from Bell Aliant as of fall 2012.

Nearly all 30,870 households in the County have access Xplornet to internet speeds of 10 Mbps or higher through wireless Xplornet or DSL. Those who are unable to get service due to terrain Bell Aliant & Xplornet issues can get access through satellite services.

Business Parks Cogeco has built new high-speed fibre access to the Brighton Industrial Park and to the Purdy Industrial Park Road area in Cramahe. Bell Aliant has connected high- speed fibre to the Campbellford Industrial Park and the Tanner Industrial Park in Trent Hills.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 23 24 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Lang Pioneer Village Museum Keene, Ontario

With its quaint roads, historic buildings and period costumes, Lang Pioneer Village Museum transports visitors back to rural life in the 19th century. The historic village, owned and operated by the County of Peterborough, was established nearly fifty years ago as part of a Canadian Centennial project in 1967. Last year, the village attracted some 20,000 visitors from as close as Peterborough and as far away as the United States and Europe.

Even as the clang of the blacksmith’s hammer echoes through the village, Lang is using a modern, 21st century tool to preserve this local gem.

Lang Pioneer Village Museum worked with Nexicom to build a Wi-Fi network for visitors and improved broadband access and speeds for administration. The effort was made possible through the expanded broadband services provided by EORN.

“The high-speed internet access is key to our future and to being a financially sustainable destination that will benefit the community for generations to come,” said Karen Jopling, operations manager.

While Wi-Fi service in a pioneer village may seem contradictory, modern-day visitors expect the convenience of mobile internet access. It’s also a marketing necessity, as prospective visitors from near and far increasingly look to social media to choose their next destination. Lang can only benefit from making it easier for visitors to post and share their experience of the village in real time.

Improved broadband has other marketing applications as well. Lang Pioneer Village Museum is building a new agricultural barn and the current plan is to offer a conference facility within this new interpretive building. While it will have the look and feel of a traditional barn, it needs to offer modern amenities to successfully attract and host events and to be sustainable.

Internet is also the key to accessing new educational opportunities. Jopling noted that the village hopes to use webinars and other online tools to market to the secondary and post-secondary institutions.

“We’ll be able to show academics and educators the kinds of artifacts we have available for research, so that they can come and physically touch, test and better understand our rural Peterborough history. Lang Pioneer Village Museum is well known for our Grade 3 Pioneer program, and we have so much more to share with all grades. This technology is setting us up to do just that,” Jopling said.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 25 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Peterborough County Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Peterborough County is comprised of eight townships Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault in central-Eastern Ontario, about 90 minutes northeast Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall of the Greater Toronto area. It is home to small urban Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg communities, heritage towns and farmland, as well as FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois seasonal cottage communities on its many waterways. Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Eleven new internet access points were built in the Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Nephton County as part of the fibre optic backbone, as well as one Burleigh Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Elgin Fenelon Madoc Delta in the City of Peterborough. Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville Falls LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth AND Woodville Dunsford Lakefield Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Improved local access through much of the County was ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque delivered through DSL services by Bell Aliant and wireless Hastings Omemee Stirling Selby Newburgh Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow services from Nexicom and Xplornet. All local networks Kingston were completed by or before spring of 2014. Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath Castleton Trenton In all, 29,780 households have access to internet services Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown of 10 Mbps or higher through wireless and DSL services Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne and 900 can access 6 to 10 Mbps service. The remaining Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY 2,180 have access to the same speeds via satellitePickering services. Bowmanville

Business Parks Toronto Lake Ontario Bell Aliant, Nexicom & Xplornet Nexicom has built fibre connections to the area around Highway 7 and County Road 28.

26 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour Prince EdwardSpencerville CountyIroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton PrinceElgin Edward County is a unique island community. Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville LENNOX Verona Encompassing just 700 square kilometres, it boasts over LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford AND Woodville Tweed Enterprise 800 kilometresSeeley’s Bay ofMallorytown shoreline. A growing wine industry is Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith adding to the farming tradition of the community. The Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque Stirling Selby Newburgh local economy also benefits from a strong tourism, arts Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Kingstonand culture focus. Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath Three new or improved internet access points were built in Castleton Trenton Adolpustown Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Prince Edward County as part of the fibre optic backbone. Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton Bloomfield Improved local access was created by Xplornet, with new Markham Welcome Grafton Oshawa Colborne Wellington PRINCE EDWARD wireless internet services that went live throughout the Ajax Port Hope Cobourg COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville area in spring 2012. Nearly all households in the County, about 11,860, have Toronto Lake Ontario access to internet speeds of 10 Mbps or higher through expanded wireless services. Those who are unable to get service due to terrain issues can get access through Xplornet satellite services.

Business Parks The McFarland Development has received improved fibre internet access from Cogeco.

Expanding high-capacity, high-speed internet fibre to key commercial areas is helping us attract and retain local businesses. It is a real boost for our community and economic development.

Peter Mertens Mayor, Prince Edward County

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 27 Wilderness Tours Foresters Falls, Ontario

Wilderness Tours pioneered rafting and kayaking on the Ottawa River nearly forty years ago and since then, they have guided more than a million rafters down its now world-famous rapids.

Located in scenic Forester Falls, Renfrew County, Wilderness Tour is one of many tourism operators in the area getting new fibre connections from Cogeco through EORN’s initiative to expand services to business parks and commercial areas.

It is a “game changer” according to Wilderness Tours’ founder and owner, Joe Kowalski.

Whitewater rafting attracts more than 60,000 visitors to Renfrew County every year. And increasingly, they expect high-speed internet access – even in remote areas.

For the average adventure tourist, access to social media is the latest must-have for any resort, Joe notes. Wilderness Tours is building expanded Wi-Fi services across its extensive property, so that whether bungee jumping or riding the rapids, adventurists can post their selfies in real time. Visitors also expect to connect with work or check in with family during their downtime at the resort.

But that’s not the only change Joe has seen in nearly 40 years in the business. In the past, the personal touch of a reservation agent used to make the difference. Now, visitors want the convenience of booking online wherever, whenever they want. Better broadband service will improve reliability of the online booking system, so that they never lose a potential visitor because the system is down. Joe is also looking at ways to improve efficiency and cost-savings, such as through internet phone services.

These broadband improvements are putting Eastern Ontario on the map when it comes to offering a world-class rafting and kayaking experience, with all of the digital amenities visitors expect.

28 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 Renfrew County

North Bay Renfrew County is the largest county in Ontario, encompassing 17 municipalities over 7,645 square kilometres.

Rolphton Bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the County Deep River stretches from the outskirts of the Capital region of Ottawa Chalk River

Laurentian Hills to Algonquin Park. Its local economy includes agriculture, Petawawa Kramer forestry and manufacturing, as well as a unique nuclear Subdivision Pembroke industry. It is also home to a large military base at Petawawa. Beachburg !.

EORN expanded service by building on theLachute previous Rural Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Connections broadbandRockland project. Sixteen new or improved Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay internet access pointsUNITED were COUNTIES built OF off the fibre optic backbone Renfrew Braeside Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion in the County. RENFREW Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids COUNTY Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Local access was builtEmbrun through two zone contracts: Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh • In the west, expanded wiredAND GLENGARRY DSL access was completed by Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Bell Aliant in theWinchester fall of 2013. Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths• In Falls the eastern and upper reaches of the County, Bell Aliant Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC expanded access by spring 2014. Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden In all, 26,930 households have access to internet speeds of North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls at leastAthens 10 MbpsMaitland through DSL services, with an additional Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora 5,260Brockville having access to internet speeds in the 6 to 10 Mbps LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford AND Woodville Bell Aliant Tweed Enterprise Seeley’srange. Bay Mallorytown The remaining 7,390 household have access to similar Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith Norwood Campellford Bell Aliant COUNTY Gananoquespeeds through enhanced satellite packages. Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath Business Parks Castleton Trenton Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton A total of seven business parks or clusters in Renfrew County Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington have enhanced fibre optic internet connections from either COUNTY Pickering Bowmanville Bell Aliant or Cogeco.

Toronto Lake Ontario Bell Aliant has built improved access to: • Petawawa Industrial Park • Renfrew Industrial Park • Highway 41/Highway 17 cluster in the Township of Laurentian Valley • Barry’s Bay Business Park • Pine Grove Business Park in McNab-Braeside • Chalk River Business Park Cogeco has built improved access to the following Whitewater business areas: • Grant Settlement Road area • Greenwood Road area

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 29 Storm Internet EORN partnered with a range of internet service providers to expand broadband across the region, from large national firms to smaller, local operations. Storm Internet was one of those local firms, based in Eastern Ontario and operating largely in the south Ottawa Valley.

Storm Internet was the successful bidder on two local access networks that covered areas of Lanark County, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Storm also built new fibre connections inside the 417 Industrial Park in the Township of Russell, which help attract new businesses to that rural community.

“The EORN project allowed us to expand much faster and build out further than we could have done on our own,” said Jonathan Black, Storm’s Chief Financial Officer. “We wanted to grow and expand our services. By partnering with the program, Storm Internet’s own investment was leveraged for greater reach and impact.”

Through the project, Storm built new access points via wireless towers and roughly doubled its coverage area. The expansion and equipment upgrades boosted service to existing customers from 3 Mbps to up to 10 Mbps and introduced the 10 Mbps service to new customers in their expanded coverage area.

The company opened a new office in Chesterville as a result of the project and increased its staff from about 32 employees to 40.

The increased speeds have opened up a world of opportunity for the community, Jonathan said. He recalled how Storm’s network hit new highs, in terms of usage, during the 2014 Winter Olympics – specifically the historic men’s and women’s gold medal hockey games.

“It was a watershed moment in a way, because the usage rates never actually returned to pre-Olympic levels,” Jonathan said. “Once people got a taste of what they could do with the higher bandwidth, they really embraced it.”

30 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Masson-Angers Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTTUnited AND Counties RUSSELL of Leeds and Grenville Arnprior Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON Russell Crysler Carleton Place STORMONT,Located halfway DUNDAS between Montreal and Toronto, along COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft the scenic St. Lawrence River, the United Counties of Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark LeedsLong Sault and Grenville is defined by its strategic location. Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Its two international bridges and major waterways Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville form the foundation of the local economy – driving a Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois strong transportation and logistics industry, as well as Kinmount COUNTY Maberly Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES OF manufacturing and tourism. Covering 3,350 square LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Cardinal Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook kilometres of prime farmland and scenic cottage country, Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield it is comprised of 10 lower-tier municipalities. Fenelon Falls Burleigh Falls Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville LENNOX Verona The fibre optic backbone created sixteen new or improved LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford AND Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown internet access hubs in the United Counties of Leeds and Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque Grenville. Local connections from these access points were Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow completed in spring 2014 by several ISPs: Kingston Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee • Storm expanded its wireless services and Bell expanded Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath Castleton Trenton DSL services in the northern part of the United Counties. Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Bell Aliant & Storm Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton • Xplornet expanded its wireless network in the southern Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne Xplornet half of the United Counties. Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Bell Aliant Pickering Bowmanville In all, 39,760 households have access to internet speeds of 10 Mbps or higher, about 250 can access 6 to 10 Toronto Lake Ontario Mbps service and the remaining 2,030 households can access similar speeds through improved satellite packages negotiated by EORN.

Business Parks Bell Aliant has connected new high-speed fibre to the Elizabethtown-Kitley Business Park, the Kemptville Business Park and the Gallipeau Business Park in Rideau Lakes. It has also put in fibre connections at three Prescott business park locations. Cogeco has built fibre connections to business areas in Gananoque.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 31 Beau’s All Natural Brewery Vankleek Hill, Ontario

Beau’s All Natural Brewery is a classic family success story. Father and son, Tim and Steve Beauchesne, enjoyed a pint one day and decided to open their own brewery. Their dream turned into reality in 2006, when they poured the first pint of their own craft brew. Last year, they sold three million litres of beer.

But that kind of exponential growth comes with its own challenges. For Beau’s, that included finding an internet connection in Vankleek Hill that could keep up with their company’s success.

As their business took off, they often found themselves literally grounded by slow internet. Sometimes, they had to choose between allowing sales staff to place their orders and letting marketing staff online to update the website, noted Steve, Beau’s CEO.

“We’d ship in bulk to Toronto. But our internet speed was so slow, the folks in Toronto couldn’t access the orders to distribute locally. It was putting about $4 million of annual sales in jeopardy,” said Steve. They couldn’t even hire new sales staff because their internet connection couldn’t handle more users.

Fortunately, help was on the way. At the same time that Beau’s was struggling, Bell Aliant was expanding local internet infrastructure through the EORN project. That included extending fibre optic cable nearby, and eventually, bringing fibre to the site.

The difference has been transformative. The company has gone from 86 employees to 120 since the new fibre was put in place – a growth enabled by the fact that there were no longer limits on their connectivity. The company is looking forward to embracing new online marketing tools, such as video – all from their home base in Vankleek Hill.

“Being in Vankleek Hill is part of our identity – not just as a business, but as people. We’re from here and we’re not interested in leaving,” Steve said.

32 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River United Counties of Prescott and Russell Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer Subdivision Pembroke Beachburg The!. United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) is

Lachute located at the eastern tip of Ontario, surrounded by Cobden Golden Lake L’Orignal the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa River, the province of Killaloe Whitney Eganville Rockland Plantagenet Alfred Hawkesbury Quebec and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas RENFREW Douglas Masson-Angers Vankleek Hill Barry’s Bay COUNTY Braeside UNITED COUNTIES OF and Glengarry. About two-thirds of the population is Renfrew Hull St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL Arnprion Bourget French speaking, making Prescott and Russell the only Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson predominantly francophone county in Ontario. Huntsville Palmer Rapids Pakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF It encompasses about 2,000 square kilometres and eight HALIBURTON Russell Carleton Place Crysler STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore lower-tier municipalities. These are largely agricultural Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroft Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster communities that also boast great swaths of public and Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault private forests. Recent economic development projects Cardiff Corners South Mountain Ingleside Gravenhurst Kemptville Minden Gooderham Williamsburg Cornwall include a Larose Forest interpretative ecology centre, a Plevna LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville Coe Hill COUNTY Perth Morrisburg 72-kilometre recreational trail and other cycling trails, as FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly well as a development plan to develop the banks, docks Sebright Apsley HASTINGS UNITED COUNTIES Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE and sites along the Ottawa River. Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott Portland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls There are 13 new or improved internet access hubs located Fenelon Falls Athens Maitland Bell Aliant & Xplornet Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin Madoc Delta in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. Local access Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH Marmora Brockville Xplornet LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth was improved by several ISPs: Dunsford AND Bell Aliant & Xplornet Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith • Xplornet expanded wireless services in the area around Norwood Campellford COUNTY Gananoque Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Embrun. These were the first new services built through Little Britain Peterborough Thurlow Kingston EORN, launched in December 2011. Bethany Warkworth Frankford Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Bath • Xplornet and Bell Aliant built new wireless and DSL Castleton Trenton Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown services, respectively, across most of the United Counties Cold Springs COUNTY Brighton Picton by summer 2013 and spring 2014. Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington COUNTY Nearly all of the 26,630 households in Prescott and Russell Pickering Bowmanville will have access to services at 10 Mbps or more through wireless or DSL. The remaining households can access these Toronto Lake Ontario speeds through satellite services.

Business Parks Two business parks, Vankleek Hill Industrial Park and the Rockland Business Park, have been connected to improved high-speed fibre from Bell Aliant. The 417 Industrial Park in Russell received improved services from Storm Internet.

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 33 North Bay

Rolphton Deep River

Chalk River Laurentian Hills Petawawa Kramer United CountiesSubdivision of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Pembroke Beachburg !.

Lachute Cobden The United CountiesGolden Lakeof Stormont, Dundas and L’Orignal Killaloe Rockland Whitney Eganville Hawkesbury Glengarry is comprised of six lower tier municipalities Plantagenet Alfred RENFREW Douglas Masson-Angers Vankleek Hill UNITED COUNTIES OF situatedBarry’s Bay on theCOUNTY St. Lawrence River, borderingBraeside both Renfrew Hull PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL St. Eugene Foymount Aylmer Quebec and the United States. The localArnprion economy Bourget Ottawa St. Isidore Glen Robertson Huntsville is definedPalmer byRapids its proximity to the famous seawayPakenham Casselman Alexandria Calabogie Nepean Maxville Dorset Mississippi Mills Leitrim !. West Guilford and has strengths in manufacturing and technology, Embrun Maynooth UNITED COUNTIES OF HALIBURTON food and beverage processing, bio-products Russell Carleton Place Crysler STORMONT, DUNDAS COUNTY Avonmore Carnarvon Denbigh AND GLENGARRY Bracebridge Bancroftmanufacturing, and distribution and warehousing. Chesterville Finch Martintown Lancaster Wilberforce Haliburton Winchester Glen Walter McDonalds Lanark Long Sault There are 18 new or improved internet access hubs South Mountain Gravenhurst Cardiff Corners Ingleside Minden Kemptville Gooderham located in the United CountiesPlevna of Stormont, Dundas Williamsburg Cornwall LANARK Smiths Falls Merrickville Coeand Hill Glengarry. COUNTY Perth Morrisburg FRONTENAC Gilmour Spencerville Iroquois Kinmount COUNTY Maberly UNITED COUNTIES Sebright Apsley LocalHASTINGS access was improved by several ISPs: Cardinal OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE Coboconk COUNTY Arden North Brook Orillia Westport Toledo Prescott • Most of the United Counties received improvedPortland North Augusta Kirkfield Burleigh Falls Fenelon Falls services from Bell Aliant and Xplornet, which Athens Maitland Bobcaygeon Nephton Elgin Madoc Delta Beaverton KAWARTHA PETERBOROUGH completedMarmora expanding DSL and wireless expanded Brockville LENNOX Verona LAKES COUNTY Havelock Tamworth Dunsford services, respectively,AND by spring 2014. Bell Aliant & Storm Woodville Tweed Enterprise Seeley’s Bay Mallorytown Lakefield ADDINGTON Inverary Lindsay Bridgenorth Yanker Harrowsmith Bell Aliant & Xplornet Norwood Campellford• Storm Internet, COUNTYa locally based ISP, expanded its Gananoque Stirling Selby Newburgh Omemee Hastings Little Britain Peterborough new wirelessThurlow network in the northwestern part of Kingston Bethany Warkworth theFrankford Counties. Napanee Port Perry Belleville Collins Bay Wolfe Island Bailieboro Roseneath Deseronto Newmarket Trenton Bath CastletonIn all, 24,990 households have access to wireless Garden Hill NORTHUMBERLAND Adolpustown Cold Springs COUNTY Brightonor DSL internet Pictonservices at 10 Mbps or higher, Markham Bloomfield Welcome Grafton Colborne620 can access 6 to 10 Mbps service, and the Oshawa PRINCE EDWARD Ajax Port Hope Cobourg Wellington remaining 1,190 householdsCOUNTY can access these Pickering Bowmanville speeds through improved satellite packages.

Toronto Lake Ontario Business Parks Bell Aliant has built fibre connections to the following business parks: • Winchester Cove Business Park • Alexandria Industrial Boulevard area • Morrisburg Industrial Park • Ingleside Industrial Park • Long Sault East Industrial Park in South Stormont • Cornwall Business Park, Saunders Drive Business Park and Walrich Business Park, all in Cornwall

34 Eastern Ontario Regional Network • Final Report 2014 The next step will be to harness the potential of the network and realize the benefits for families, business, healthcare, education and government services. We are pleased to be opening a new chapter for Eastern Ontario.

Rick Philips Past Chair, EOWC

Final Report 2014 • Eastern Ontario Regional Network 35 Internet Service Partners Contact Information: Bell: 310-BELL Xplornet Communications Inc.: 1-866-943-8632 Storm Internet: 1-866-257-8676 Nexicom: 1-888-639-4266

For more information, contact: Lisa Severson Communications & Stakeholder Relations Officer Eastern Ontario Regional Network Phone: 613-925-7010 Email: [email protected] www.eorn.ca